Mixing Things Up
by cherryblossomjen
Summary: Troy deals with his new Drama teacher, a new play, conflicting feelings, and everything in between. Troypay and, to my surprise, slightly Ryella. Update: Burnt Toast at Midnight. After eons of delay, we finally see some fireworks.
1. Mr Eton

**Timeline:**(_added October '08) _

With the release of High School Musical 2 and 3, this fic can be considered AU (Alternate Universe, or different from the show's canon, for those who might not know. It takes place roughly three weeks after the events of the first movie and has no relation to the sequel(s). Though I have to say HSM 3 was pretty awesome. I'm trying to go through and polish some of the chapters, if you notice something different.

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**Mixing Things Up**

Chapter One: Mr. Eton

Troy made his way into Ms. Darbus' drama class exactly five seconds before the bell rang. In his rush to get seated, he didn't notice the absence of his teacher. In place of her scarf clad, vivacious self stood a tall man with dark eyes and hair that grayed at his temples.

The man's three-pieced suit suggested he wasn't from New Mexico and when he spoke, his British accent confirmed it.

"Hello class, I am Mr. Eton," he said, looking up from the desk. "Ms. Darbus has come down with a severe case of the flu. I'll be her substitute for the next few weeks."

There were a few less than subtle gasps of shock from the class (this was drama class after all), but the man didn't seem to notice.

"You should know that I am a former Literature professor, but I specialize in the Performing Arts and am fully qualified to instruct you in their performance." He paused for a moment, likely for dramatic effect, but continued on shortly after. "I understand your class is working on a musical of some sort. So, I should tell you that I have little patience for musicals -- all that singing and dancing -- it's a sad excuse for theatre."

The students looked at each other, a mix of resentment and confusion on their faces. _Who does this guy think he is?_

"In Ms. Darbus' absence you'll be participating in something new -- something worthy of the stage." Without interrupting his lecture, Mr. Eton began passing out thick packets to each of the students in the front row, who in turn passed them back.

Troy stared at his copy, too stunned to speak. It read:

'_Much Ado About Nothing,' a play by William Shakespeare_.

His head was spinning, trying to let it all sink in. The day wasn't turning out at all like he'd expected.

Sharpay's voice broke the silence, clear and strong. "Mr. Eton, I understand that you want to do things differently from Ms. Darbus, but the musical isn't something we can just put off for two weeks. Not if it's going to be any good."

Slowly the class turned to look at her, grateful for once that she was being demanding.

"It's heartbreaking to hear about Ms. Darbus," Sharpay continued, "but she would be the first to say 'the show must go on.'"

Troy squinted his eyes to look at her more closely, it was pretty cool that she was willing to stick up for the production even though she had lost out on a main role.

Mr. Eton didn't seem to appreciate the outburst though. "Ah, Ms. Evans, I've been warned about you."

Troy could see Ryan, Sharpay's brother, shifting in his seat, a look of irritation growing on his face. He wasn't going to let some teacher pick on his sister – drama professional or not.

Fortunately, Mr. Eton wasn't disrespectful, just impatient. "It's true that when I teach – I do things my own way. I'd be more inclined to force myself to work on your precious Spring musical if it weren't for the fact that your school does a new one every term. It'll hardly devastate anything to wait to resume production until Ms. Darbus' condition has improved."

The man sat on the corner of his desk, his lips curling in a small grin. "Besides, if I worked on your musical it would probably start sounding more like songs from the Bard of Avon and leave you wishing you'd have left well enough alone."

The joke, lame as it was, eased the tension in the room and Gabriella raised her hand timidly.

Mr. Eton had to look at the seating chart for her name. "Yes, Ms. Montez?"

"What if Sharpay took over directing the musical?"

Sharpay's blonde head whipped around to face Gabriella, shock plastered on her face like stage makeup.

Gabriella smiled, the idea making more and more sense to her. "She and Kelsi could collaborate to keep things together until Ms. Darbus is better. Maybe Ryan could choreograph."

Mr. Eton touched the edge of his dark glasses. "If Ms. Evans wants to do so -- she is welcome to try during _free period_. During class time, however, we will be studying Shakespeare."

He picked up a packet for himself from the desk. "Let's begin with a class reading."

There was a collective moan of pain from the class as they looked at their papers.

"Mr. Danforth, please start us off."

Chad muddled through the first lines of the complicated Early Modern English. Sharpay leaned back, suspicion creeping into her voice, "What was that craziness about?"

Gabriella smiled again, laughing softly. "You said it yourself, Sharpay, 'the show must go on.' You're probably the only one with enough of what it takes to make that happen."

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"That was a noteworthy attempt, Mr. Danforth," Mr. Eton said when Chad had finished the lines on the first page. "However, this is not a novel, but a play. As such – each verse must be read, not with a reading tone, but with separate voices and with _feeling_." Mr. Eton gestured his arm emphatically as if to drive home the point. "And in keeping with the statutes of plays," he continued, reaching for a hat that had been on his desk, "each of you will be assigned a part."

There was a shuffling of feet as the students glanced around, not thrilled with the news.

Shaking it in a circular motion, Mr. Eton brought the upturned hat closer. It was filled with little slips of folded papers.

"You have the honor of first choice in reward for your reading, Mr. Danforth."

"Great," Chad replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Reaching into the hat, he unfolded his paper and read it aloud, "Don John."

"Ah, the villain," explained Mr. Eton, "An excellent role for you."

Troy snickered at the comment, intending to tease his friend about it, when Mr. Eton placed the hat in front of him. Opening his paper apprehensively, he read, "Benedick?"

"The hero," Mr. Eton answered. "It seems the school's star player is condemned to forever be in the spotlight."

Mr. Eton eyes gleamed suddenly and he smiled conspiratorially, "You'll play opposite Ms. Evans."

Sharpay, who had been mentally calculating all the work she would need to do in order to salvage the musical, jerked her head up. "WHAT?!" It was more of a demand than a question.

"You'll be starring as Beatrice, opposite Mr. Bolton," Mr. Eton answered calmly, although the gleam in his eyes was still present.

"That is unacceptable."

Sharpay was sure that the rumor mill would immediately suggest that her being paired with Troy was all a part of the 'Evil Ice Princess' maniacal plan to snatch the most popular guy on the basketball team. She didn't actually care about what people said behind her back, but it wasn't the kind of drama she was in the mood to deal with. She had too much to do.

Now, though, with everyone staring at her, it was hard to come up with a justifiable excuse for them not to be paired together. If she said what she was thinking out loud it would probably land her in even more trouble. Troy was staring at her too – waiting for an explanation with a look that was a combination of surprise and something else that was hard to discern.

Mr. Eton just arched an eyebrow. "Are you saying you are _incapable_ of performing with Mr. Bolton? A true actor overcomes any personal issues for the sake of the production."

Sharpay's demeanor changed at that. She raised her chin slightly, indignation in her tone. "There is _nothing_ I am incapable of doing."

"Good," Mr. Eton said quickly, grabbing the hat and placing it in front of the next student.

All Sharpay could do was narrow her eyes and say "You're an evil man," under her breath.

The only sign that Mr. Eton heard the comment was the slight increase of his grin.

**Authors Note** This is my first attempt at fanfiction – ever. I had no idea my first venture into it would be a High School Musical Story, but here it is. :) If there's interest, I'll continue. I'm a Tropay fan, but I also think Gabriella is adorable so my story will probably reflect that. If I'm being honest, I pretty much love all the characters…


	2. Twinkle Toes Troy

Chapter 2: Twinkle Toes Troy

The asphalt in the parking lot burned from the New Mexico Sun and the air was dry and parching. That didn't stop Chad, Troy and a few other random jocks from loitering about, dying more from boredom than the heat.

Chad, with one foot on the sidewalk, deepened his voice and pointed to Troy. "Mr. Bolton, you're forever doomed to play the hero." It was a pretty good imitation of Mr. Eton.

"Shut up," Troy said with a smile, lunging to get his friend in a headlock.

They both laughed, Chad dodging out of the way.

Curtis, one of the random jocks, sat on the curb in between 'Lady Nails' and a comic bookstore. Leaning his head back to look at the sign, he was struck with sudden inspiration.

"Dudes! I have a plan."

The boys turned from what they were doing, which was pretty much nothing, to look at him.

"Just what we need," said Chad, leaning against a pillar, "another one of Curtis' weird ideas."

Curtis ignored him and continued. "We'll have a race. We run to each of the four corners of the parking lot, touching a car on each side and see who can make it back first."

"No offense, Curtis," Troy said, "but why would we do that? It's like two hundred degrees out today."

The rest of the boys agreed, it wasn't one of Curtis' better plans.

"Because. Whoever gets back last has to get a pedicure from 'Lady Nails' – with those little flower things the girls always have on their toes."

That changed the stakes. With not more than a look passing between them, all five boys dashed out toward opposite ends of the parking lot. A car blared it's horn at Chad as the boy darted in front of it. He yelled out a quick apology and dashed out again – determined to get back first.

Troy had been watching from the corner of his eye and he laughed at the scene. Chad could be so macho sometimes. Then again, Troy wasn't about to show up at school with girly flowers painted on his toes. With renewed determination, he reached the third side of the parking lot, briefly touched the hood of a little Nissan and was about to head for the finish line when he heard something that stopped him in his tracks.

"_Mmn-Bop-Bop-Bop, Bop-To-The-Top_," a voice sang to herself.

"Sharpay?" Troy asked, looking for the girl, not sure where the voice had come from.

Troy turned around, but all he saw was a girl with violet hair making her way into 'Lady Nails.' He shook his head, irritated with himself for losing focus.

He made a mad sprint for the finishing point – to no avail. Apparently, the ten seconds he spent daydreaming were enough to make him the last one back.

The guys, pink from exertion and out of breath, still managed to laugh and point as he finally reached them.

"Looks like Twinkle Toes Troy is ready for his pedicure," Curtis said. It was hard to stop the laughter after that.

Troy was embarrassed – _but what could he do?_ It would be worse for him to back out now than to just go through with it. Better to be at the butt of a joke than to be a sore loser.

"Alright, guys," Troy said, "you win."

A couple of the guys gave him a pat on the shoulder and one of them hummed something that sounded like the death march.

"We'll see you and your pretty nails tomorrow, Team Captain," Curtis said. "We'll want proof that you went through with it." His smile was huge, so Troy knew he meant it all in good fun.

"What was with you, man?" Chad asked, putting a hand on Troy's shoulder as he made his way begrudgingly towards the entrance of the salon. "You were almost here and then you just _stopped _in the middle of the lot – looking around."

"It was nothing."

"Well, that nothing was enough to distract you big time." He was waiting for an answer.

Troy looked around to see if the other guys were listening. They weren't. "I thought I heard Sharpay singing."

Chad's eyes looked like basketballs, they had gotten so big. "Really?" He was definitely implying something with that tone.

"It's not like that, Chad."

"All I know is that this isn't the first time you've mentioned her. What was it you said when you got back from winter break? -- 'Sharpay's kinda cute.' And now you're hearing her voice?"

Troy could tell his friend was having way too much fun with this. "It was probably the heat."

"Sure, it was" Chad said, nodding his head with a smirk.

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Bells on the door rattled as Troy entered. He stared at the ground, not ready to face the woman at the desk.

Stepping forward, he raised his eyes quickly and said, in the quietest voice possible, "I need someone to do my nails."

"Manicure, pedicure?" The woman asked, as if it were the most normal thing in the world for a high school boy to come into 'Lady Nails.'

"Yeah, that."

"Okay. Take seat there." The lady's accent was sweet and even though she had a small build, she had a fiery demeanor. It was like he was talking to an aunt, albeit a somewhat bossy aunt.

Troy obeyed, sitting down in a strange evil-lab type of chair next to the violet haired girl he'd seen earlier. There was a basin at the foot of his chair and he watched as the woman filled it with sudsy water and poured in a powder, turning it blue.

"Take off shoes," she said, without looking up.

Troy complied, fascinated by what she was doing.

"And socks." Her eyes were on him now, smiling more than her lips could have.

Embarrassed at not doing the obvious, Troy yanked off his socks and placed them by his shoes. _This couldn't get any worse._

"Troy?" the violet haired girl asked, her voice all too familiar.

Troy felt his voice halt in his throat as he turned to look at her. _This wasn't happening._ "Um… Sharpay?"

He could tell she was trying not to grin wickedly; she failed miserably.

"It's about time you took care of those cuticles, Bolton," she said. "Dancing and basketball – that's gotta be hard on them."

_Was she making fun of him?_

"Yeah, well, I'm not here by choice."

Sharpay just shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever."

"Sit back and put feet in here," said the Salon woman, interrupting their awkward conversation.

Again, Troy did as he was told. The water was wonderfully warm and little jets squirted around his toes and heels. Leaning back he felt something weird moving behind him. He flinched, turning to see what it was.

"It's a chair massager," Sharpay explained. "Just lean back and enjoy."

It felt surprisingly good.

The lady put some kind of scrubby cream on his hands, which was also unexplainably relaxing, and covered them in large, plastic gloves.

Looking over at Sharpay he could see that she had the same thing on her hands. But she definitely didn't look like herself. Not only was her hair a bright shade of violet but, looking closer Troy could see a tiny diamond on her left nostril – a nose piercing.

"What's with the new look, Sharpay?"

She looked down at herself to see what he meant. "Oh, it was going to be a surprise for our evil new drama teacher. He wants me to 'expand my acting abilities by portraying more diverse roles,'" she said, imitating him. "I thought I'd show up to class like this tomorrow – with matching attitude. It'd be worth it to see the look on his usually smug face."

Troy laughed. "Yeah, but he'd probably just get a kick out of it – and then your plan will have completely backfired."

"True," she said, using a gloved hand to remove the wig and the other to remove the magnetic stud on her nose.

Troy was glad she hadn't dyed it. He liked her hair, although the purple looked good too. _Wait a minute, Bolton. Stop right there. _Talking with Chad had put ideas into his head. He'd have to get back at him later.

"So, I guess we better get together at some point to go over our skit," Sharpay said, while someone finished off her toes – pink with a violet flower.

"Yeah, that would be good."His face paled. Seeing the flower had reminded him of the terms his friends had set on him.

"What's wrong?"

He told her what had happened with the guys, how he was doomed to wear a similar flower on his nails. And was mortified.

"Well, why don't you put something else on them?"

Without a second breath, Sharpay was addressing the woman working on Troy's feet. "Mrs. Ling, could you draw a red cat on Troy's big toes, and then put the letters e-a-s-t on the right foot and h-i-g-h on the left?"

"Three dollar extra."

"That's fine."

Sharpay looked at Troy, "At least now you can say you did it to encourage school support off season."

"That's brilliant, Sharpay," he said, meaning it.

She just shrugged, "I know."

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**Authors Note: **Whew. I think this is the largest chapter I've done yet! Hopefully this makes up for the shortness of the last chapter.


	3. Director Queen Sharpay

Chapter 3: Director Queen Sharpay

With Gabriella's insistence, Sharpay called a meeting of the 'Twinkle Towne' cast during free period.

"Where is everyone?" Gabriella asked, looking around the stage. Other than herself, Kelsi, Ryan, a handful of stage crew, and a few other insignificant students, everyone was missing.

"Dillydallying about, most likely," Ryan answered.

"But, why? They knew we were supposed to meet to discuss the musical."

Sharpay crossed her arms. Like Ryan, she was not surprised at the turnout, or rather, lack thereof. "Without Ms. Darbus here to require their presence – they won't come. Now that the enthusiasm is gone and their grade can't be threatened, only people who were serious about their roles will be here."

Her voice already sounded very much like that of a director – clear, coaching and requiring full attention.

Walking slowly towards the stage exit, she continued, "Which means some people need to be replaced."

Kelsi shot a quick 'this isn't good' look at Gabriella. "Sharpay, I don't think you can just go and recast the musical."

If things were going to go smoothly, Sharpay knew she had to cooperate with Kelsi. She would have to keep her opinions on the musical arrangements to herself, since they would likely not be appreciated and might even work against her. _Nevermind that I'm right about them._

_Stop Sharpay, Deep breath. _

The musical arrangements were one thing – she'd compromise on those. But how things were done – that was Sharpay's job, at least until Ms. Darbus returned. And she wouldn't be contradicted.

"I'm not going to recast the entire musical, Kelsi," she said with limited patience. "But, if the people assigned for the supporting and minor roles aren't going to bother to show up – they're not going to do the musical any good. Are they?"

Kelsi looked down briefly. "I guess not."

"Well, don't worry, I'll make sure they listen to you. This is still your play."

Kelsi looked up at that, practically beaming at Sharpay.

"Well, don't let it go to your head," Sharpay said, her mouth curving in a half grin, half smirk.

Kelsi's smile, if possible, just got bigger.

Rolling her eyes, Sharpay looked at the list in her hand. "Back to business. Ryan, you'll need to help Gabriella with her stage fright. Kelsi, please arrange an hour after school and free period everyday to go over the arrangements with individual groups – which I'll assign according to scene."

"You," she pointed at an extra, "remind me to ask Zeke to cook some chicken soup for Ms. Darbus. Then one of you little stage people can deliver it to her. We'll need five new dancers, a male to play the antagonist and…" she paused, mid-sentence to look around.

Narrowing her eyes, she asked slowly, "Where's Troy?"

The students look at each other, hesitant to speak.

Finally, Gabriella said, "Um… I think the basketball team is having a meeting in the locker room."

Before she could finish her sentence, Sharpay was out the door muttering things better not to repeat.

Ryan was on his way to follow her out when Gabriella tapped his shoulder, stopping him.

"What did Sharpay mean about you helping me with my stage fright?"

Ryan smiled. "I had a problem with it as a kid. A nine year old Sharpay came up with this weird technique that helped me through it."

"Oh."

"I'm sure you'll do fine in the scenes when you're with Troy. I was always okay when I preformed with Sharpay – it was those few moments when I was alone, or with someone else that I would freeze in place."

"I hadn't thought of that." Gabriella looked at the floor, realizing he was right.

Ryan put his hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry. After we work through it, you'll be able to perform with anyone, at anytime without worrying about the spotlight."

Gabriella brought her eyes up to look at him and smiled. "Okay. That sounds good."

"Great," he said, withdrawing his hand, suddenly feeling a little too cozy. "We'll talk later then. Right now I gotta go find my sister."

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Sharpay swung open the doors to the boys locker room, storming past the first few stalls of horrified faces. Ryan, who had to run to catch up with her, entered a few moments after.

Identifying the group she wanted by their red jerseys, she zeroed in on the team captain.

She was about to give him a piece of her mind when a towel clad Curtis made a snide comment under his breath.

"Well, if it isn't the Ice Queen, expanding her territory."

Sharpay swung her head around to face him.

_Ice Queen_. She knew the name should probably offend her but instead it brought her a certain amount of glee. _Seriously, who wouldn't want to be thought of as royalty._

Still, she thought it best not let everyone else know it.

But Troy could tell, or at least today he could. The fact that Ryan was only laughing to himself as he watched Curtis mutter the words made him suspect it. But the wicked little grin on Sharpay's face as she turned and walked away from him confirmed it. _It was also pretty cute. Er.. not cute, Troy, interesting._

"It's your majesty to you, little boy. Drop and give me twenty!" She pointed to the ground.

Curtis did nothing. His face did turn a few shades paler, though.

"Ehem," Troy interrupted, unable to stop himself from chuckling. "don't you think he should put his clothes on first?"

Sharpay arched an eyebrow, choosing not to look at Curtis' towel. Her words came out slowly and deliberately, "_Now_."

"Yes, um… your majesty." Curtis kneeled on the floor, securing his towel firmly. And awkwardly began his push-ups. "One. Two. Three.."

Chad, who hadn't bothered even trying not to laugh, gripped his ribs in pain from the if seeing him brought back a memory of her to-do-list, Sharpay addressed him.

"Chad, I need to see you about something. Wait for me, after lunch."

He'd always been a little afraid of Sharpay and after the scene today he wasn't going to put up a fight. "Allright."

Troy felt a strange emotion sliver around him, and it surprised him. _Am I jealous?_ _No,_ he reasoned. _It's just curiosity._ He just wondered what she needed to see Chad about, since the two of them weren't exactly close. _Yeah, that's it._

By then, Curtis had finished and was trying to regain some sort of composure.

Sharpay addressed him again, this time smiling. "Congratulations, you and four of your friends have won small roles on the latest east high musical production."

Scanning her finger across four of the other ball players, she said, "Meet the rest of the cast behind the stage during free period tomorrow. Got it?"

They didn't dare object.

Collecting Ryan, who had spent his time leaning against a locker watching the scene like a loyal sidekick, Sharpay maneuvered her way through the boys. It wasn't hard; they knew by instinct how to get out of her way.

Before leaving, she stood again in front of Troy. Having regained some of her patience she said, "Don't miss any more meetings, okay?"

He wasn't afraid, she could tell. In fact, he seemed more than a little amused.

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**Authors Note: **My family comes in from Sweden today so I might not be able to update for a while longer than usual. That's why I made this chapter into one big one instead of two. Again, not time to proofread so sorry about the inevitable errors. I'll be sure to do it later.

Hugs and cookies to **everyone** for reviewing. I really really really appreciate it.


	4. Pancake Surprise

Chapter 4: Pancake Surprise

Troy stood outside the Evans' house – staring at their French door and glass windows from a safe distance of about eight feet.

Sharpay told him to be there at nine sharp. It was 8:42. He leaned against their mailbox for support, trying to get comfortable.

"Troy?"

He jumped, twisting around to see whose voice spoke to him. "Oh, hi Gabriella. What are you doing here?"

She smiled, looking over at the Evan's house. "I'm going to do some acting exercises with Ryan."

He nodded, leaning against the mailbox again.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I'm supposed to meet with Sharpay at nine."

"Oh, I see."

She started towards the door, but turned when she noticed he wasn't following her. "Aren't you coming in?"

"Uh, I think I'll just sit out here and enjoy the view for a few more minutes?"

Gabriella looked around at the suburban neighborhood – grass, mailboxes, a virtually empty street. She arched an eyebrow at him, "You're afraid of what Sharpay will do to you if you don't come exactly when she says, right?"

"Exactly," he admitted without shame, tapping his fingers against the metal of the mailbox.

Gabriella just smiled. "Come on Troy. I'm sure it'll be fine. It's better to be early than late."

He looked reluctant but ended up following her to the door anyway. She rang the doorbell.

A very large man, with dark skin and coal black lashes answered the door. "Can I help you?" he asked, music notes in his hand.

Gabriella and Troy looked at each other. Troy spoke up. "Um… we're looking for Ryan and Sharpay."

"Come on in," the man smiled, his Spanish accent becoming more apparent. "Ryan is in the kitchen and Sharpay should be out soon."

The two of them followed the man to the kitchen, but they could've followed the smell. The moment they stepped inside, Troy could detect the unmistakable scent of banana pancakes.

Ryan was leaning over a skillet, the pan sizzling with oil and batter. There was a stack of pancakes on the counter – the edges crispy and golden just the way Troy liked them. His mouth watered.

"Ryan, your friends are here."

He looked up from the pan and smiled, "Hi. Thanks Jorge. This is Troy and Gabriella -- they're here to do a project with Shar and me. Guys, this is my step dad, Jorge."

Troy and Gabriella shook hands with him, "Nice to meet you."

The man had a firm grip but his smile was warm. "You kids have fun, I'm in the studio if you need me."

Gabriella inched her way towards the pancakes. "These look delicious Ryan. Are they for us?"

Troy's hand was already reaching for a little pancake, towards the back of the stack. It was calling to him, eat me Troy, eat me. He couldn't resist.

Ryan smacked his hand before it got there. "Those are for later."

Troy must've looked pretty heartbroken because Ryan changed his mind. "All right, you can have one. But only one."

Ryan looked over at Gabriella. "And not you. These are for our stage fright exercise."

Gabi sighed, dejected. While Troy grabbed his little pancake up greedily, ripping off small pieces and putting them in his mouth.

"So, where's Sharpay?" he asked, his voice muffled from the pancake in his mouth.

"She's still getting ready. She's not really a morning person. You can wait for her in the living room if you want."

Troy sat on the living room couch, fingering through an issue of 'Theater Magazine' that had been on the coffee table. He lasted about two minutes before he got up to search for a bathroom.

He got turned around looking through all the doors downstairs. He didn't really want to disturb Jorge from his work, so he decided it would probably be easier to just find a restroom upstairs.

At the top of the stairs he noticed a door with red and pink fabric outlining it. Even if there hadn't been fancy letters with the words "Do not disturb her Majesty Sharpay" he would have known whose room it was. He was tempted to peek inside, but decided against it.

He reached to open the door opposite it, figuring it was most likely the bathroom.

He turned the knob slowly, and pushed the door open. A voice shrieked suddenly and Troy jumped, shouting himself.

His heart stopped -- literally stopped -- when he saw the figure in front of him.

"Sharpay?" his voice croaked as steam escaped from the bathroom.

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**Author's Note:** I'm sorry everyone for the long awaited update. I've been really bad and here I am leaving you with a cliffhanger. It's evil. ;) Just know: I really, really appreciate the feedback. I think it's the one thing that stopped me from forgetting this story completely.


	5. Quick Save

Chapter 5: Quick Save

_A quick recap…_

Troy turned the knob slowly, pushing the bathroom door open. A voice shrieked suddenly and Troy jumped, shouting himself.

His heart stopped -- literally stopped -- when he saw the figure in front of him.

"Sharpay?" his voice croaked, steam escaping from the bathroom.

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"Sheesh Bolton, you nearly scared me out of my skin! Ever heard of knocking?"

Troy was finding it hard to breathe. He was concerned he actually forgot how. He just stood there, in the middle of the doorway, not breathing.

Sharpay looked at him and shook her head. She was fully clad in an extra large green robe, decorated with little Keropi faces all over it.

She sighed, pulling the robe a little closer around her neck. "Ok, Troy. Stop freaking. You've seen more flesh on a girl in a miniskirt. Now back out of the bathroom so I can change." She said it in that slow tone she usually reserved for dealing with the mentally challenged.

Troy didn't move. It wasn't what he saw, or what he didn't see that turned him into a pile of mush. He had never in his life walked in on someone coming from the shower. Not even his mom. Oh man, his mind would not shut off. _That's it, I'm losing all touch with reality. There's no recovery from this._

Sharpay took a deep breath, smiling despite herself. She placed her right hand briefly on the center of his chest and, with a gentle shove, pushed him into the hallway.

Not two seconds after she shut the bathroom door, did a thunder of footsteps come running down the hall from around the corner.

Ryan looked seriously concerned and Gabriella was right behind him. Ryan pounded on the door. "Sharpay, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Ryan. Just give me a second."

Ryan turned his head to look at Troy. He furrowed his brow and frowned at the guilty look on Troy's face.

"Troy?" Ryan said, stepping closer to him, saying his words slowly. "What happened exactly?"

For the first time, Troy felt just the smallest bit afraid of Ryan. There was a dark glint in his eye that made him feel pretty uncomfortable.

Troy tried to open his mouth, tried to explain. Fortunately, just when he was about to dig his own grave the bathroom door shot open.

"Well, I feel refreshed," Sharpay said, with a bounce. Her Sanrio robe was hanging neatly on a hook near the shower and she was fully dressed – a pink sweater, jeans, and two long strands of a glass bead necklace.

Ryan squinted his eyes, giving her a look. "I heard you scream. I thought something happened."

"Oh, right. I had an unwelcome visitor in the shower…"

Ryan's eyes shot open and Sharpay laughed.

She hit him playfully on the arm, "a spider, Ryan. Shesh, you can be so dramatic sometimes."

Ryan looked over at Troy, his eye still squinting. "You screamed too. What was that about?"

Troy gulped, forming words for what felt like the first time. "Um, spider. Spider bad."

Ryan stepped back, too confused. He looked at Troy and looked at his sister and just shook his head. "Come on Gabriella," he said. "Let's leave the scaredy-cats to their work."

Gabriella had a very mischievous look on her face; she seemed to pick up that there was probably something more going on. But she just laughed and followed Ryan back into the kitchen, giving Sharpay the briefest wink on her way out.

When they were safely out of earshot Troy let out a long breath. He was relieved his body had remembered how to breathe after all. It helped that he had been careful not to look at Sharpay since she came out of the bathroom.

Sharpay crossed her arms, smirking. "Relax," she said. "I think we might need to start you on some stress management exercises."

Troy laughed, a small bemused laugh.

Then, with a quick step, Sharpay was standing in front of him, a finger pointed at his chest. "But Bolton, for your own sake, this never happened."

Troy gulped.

"Don't let the jazz squares fool you. Ryan would break your face if he got word of it. You know how the rumor mill distorts facts. By the time he hears something, it would sound like you…"

"I got it," Troy interrupted her. He had just gotten his mind out of the gutter and it would not help him to go back.

Sharpay smiled. "Little brothers. They can be hard to reason with sometimes."

She paused, stepping uncomfortably close to him so that there was very little space between them.

Troy felt the need to let out a breath, but couldn't.

"I don't think I need to tell you what _I _would do, if I hear any obscene jokes from the basketball team about this?"

She raised her left brow, but didn't step back.

Troy shook his head, no that wouldn't be a problem.

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**Authors Note: **Sorry for the long, long delay in the update. Hopefully there are still people out there who care about this story. Special thanks to everyone who reviewed.


	6. Hear Me Meow

Chapter 6: Hear Me Meow

"Ah, Ms. Evans. You've decided to grace us with your presence." Mr. Eton cupped his hands behind his head, leaning back into his chair.

"Only after much debate," she responded, annoyed. She didn't look at him, just edged her way towards her seat in the back.

Mr. Eton just grinned. Irritating Sharpay first thing in the morning seemed to put him in a good mood.

"Hopefully, you've all thought about your assignments for _Much Ado About Nothing_." Mr. Eton got up from his relaxed position and strutted slowly in front of his desk. "I say this, not only because I want you to develop a deep and satisfying understanding of Shakespeare, but also because your scene performances are due next week."

A few people didn't bother to hide their surprise: Chad groaned audibly; Jason hit his head against his desk; Zeke just smiled.

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After class, Troy started to make his way over to Sharpay. She would probably want to schedule another rehearsal. She was gone by the time he reached her desk. He scanned the room. Like every other time the bell rang, students clamored out the door like ants from an anthill.

Stepping outside, he found her cornering Chad. He only caught the tail end of their conversation, which was unfortunate; it looked pretty intense.

Sharpay held onto the sleeve of Chad's shirt with her thumb and index finger. "…And Danforth, do not keep me waiting."

Chad smirked.

Troy was confused. Before he could talk to Sharpay she had joined the rush of students in the hallway crowd.

Chad noticed him and nodded. "Hey man, what's up?"

Troy tried to smile. "Not much." He looked in the direction Sharpay had gone. "What's up with you and Sharpay?"

"That's a familiar question," Chad said, punching his friend in the arm with a wink.

"Seriously, man. What's up?"

Chad shook his head. "It's nothing. Really, it's nothing."

Troy's brow furrowed. It if was nothing, why did he have this sudden pang of jeal—erm, concern? No, something was definitely up. He'd figure it out eventually.

"All right, whatever man. Catch you later."

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As it turned out, Troy was right.

Sharpay did want to rehearse again. She left a message on his cell phone that her mother was holding some kind of drama and academia meeting so they couldn't do it at her house. "So, I'll be at your house around four. Toodles!"

Troy looked at the clock. 3:42. He'd better clean up his room.

Eighteen minutes later, the doorbell rang.

Troy ran down the stairs to open it, but Mrs. Bolton beat him to it.

"Hi Mrs. Bolton," Sharpay said, taking her large white sunglasses off.

She'd changed since Troy had seen at her school. Troy thought she looked very cute in her white and yellow polka dot dress. Then he thought it was probably bad that he thought that and tried to unthink it. He was less than successful.

"Hi, Sharpay," Mrs. Bolton said, clearly surprised. "I haven't seen you in a long time."

Troy made his way between his mom and Sharpay. "Well, mom, now you have. Bye now." He grabbed Sharpay by the arm and began to lead her upstairs.

Sharpay turned around while her body made the steps up. "It was good to see you again, Mrs. Bolton."

Mrs. Bolton smiled a half-smile, watching her son curiously.

Troy and Sharpay let out a sigh of relief when they made it to his room. Troy looked at her, raising his eyebrows.

Sharpay set her rather large bag down near the foot of Troy's bed and answered his nonverbal question with, "Your mom has always scared me a little."

Now Troy really was surprised. "You – afraid? Now I really am shocked."

Sharpay rolled her eyes and leaned against Troy's desk.

Troy came closer to her, moving a strand of hair that had dropped in front of her eyes.

"Sharpay, get OFF the counter!" yelled a voice from downstairs.

Sharpay jumped off the table she'd been leaning on as though it were a hot plate.

Troy jumped back as well.

She yelled down an embarrassed, "Sorry Mrs. Bolton."

Sharpay turned to ask Troy if his mom had psychic powers or something, when a small furry creature dashed frantically into the room and hid under the bed.

Mrs. Bolton was close behind, stomping up the stairs, spray bottle in hand.

"Did Sharpay sneak in here?" she asked. "I turn around for once second and that evil cat is on the kitchen counter eating my ice cream."

"I don't see her," Troy answered, pretending to look around the room, but bringing his legs together to block the view of a little orange tail.

Seeing nothing suspicious, Mrs. Bolton turned around and moved on to the next room with a haunting, "Here, kitty kitty."

When she was safely out of range, Troy reached under his bed with one hand and scooped out a small kitten that was licking its paw ceremoniously. It had no stripes or spots -- just a ball of white fluff with an orange tail and blue eyes. It purred loudly as Troy scratched behind its ears, but continued to clean its paw.

Sharpay (the human version) watched the scene with growing amusement.

"Excellent job in naming your cat, Bolton," she said, not even trying to hide the smirk on her face.

Troy, who couldn't help but be a little embarrassed, felt his temples turn pink when he looked up at her. "Before you jump to conclusions – it was all my mom. She saw us all rehearsing for the musical one day and decided to name our new kittens after the main cast."

"Riiight," Sharpay said, teasing him. "And where exactly are these famous kitties?" She looked around the room, as though they should suddenly appear if he was telling the truth.

"Uhm… we gave them away when they were old enough."

"But you kept _this_ one?" She said the words slowly, still amused.

"Well," Troy inadvertently snuggled the kitten closer to him, "this one's mine."

Sharpay arched an eyebrow in response. She reached for her script again, this time opting not to sit on the table.

"Well, enough kitty talk. Back to business."

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**Author's Note**: It's been a very very long time, I know. I'm so sorry. A special thank you to those of you who still remember this story and who asked me to update. It's because of you that I haven't given up on this all together.

p.s. I've wanted to create a HSM story where Troy is zapped into the 1940's and meets the famous detective Nancy Drew (only she looks exactly like Sharpay). Adventures, mysteries, comedy ensues… etc. Do you think that sounds too cheesy? Be honest with me.


	7. Gothic Ken Doll

Chapter 7: Gothic Ken™ Doll

Troy woke up suddenly. He huddled inside the blanket. His feet were cold. That was odd; usually Sharpay crawled into a ball near the foot of his bed, a perfect foot warmer.

Troy shot out of bed. "Sharpay?"

He turned on his light. Nothing.

He looked under the bed. Nothing.

"Oh, no."

Now that he thought of it, he hadn't seen his cat since she first ran into his room earlier in the afternoon. He had been preoccupied with rehearsing and hadn't noticed she was missing.

He went out in the hallway and into his parents bedroom. "Mom – I can't find Sharpay."

He flipped on their light. Neither of his parents were in bed. It took Troy a minute to remember that they had gone to his aunt's house to housesit while she was away. They wouldn't be back until Sunday.

Troy felt a momentary pang of distress. He took a deep breath and tried to calm down.

He made his way into the kitchen, grabbing a can of cat food. He tapped the top of it with his finger. "Here, kitty kitty."

Normally, one tap was enough to bring large crashing noises as Sharpay pushed everything out of her way to get to her bowl.

Tonight, nothing.

Troy took another deep breath and went to the back door, his feet suddenly cold against the linoleum. What if she'd snuck outside? In New Mexico it wasn't impossible that coyotes could have gotten her, or a hawk.

She was still small. She wouldn't stand much of a chance.

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When Sharpay got home, her stepfather greeted her at the door.

"Have you seen your brother yet?" he asked, sipping from a red mug.

Sharpay removed her coat. "Not since school."

Jorge shifted his glance from Sharpay to the hallway. "Just be kind. Your mother nearly had a heart attack."

"Mother is a drama queen."

Jorge shot her a warning look.

"What? It's a compliment."

Jorge shook his head and started toward his studio.

Sharpay was just about to call after him and ask what it was she was supposed to be kind about, when her brother came down the stairs.

Sharpay's mouth hung open.

He wore a bright pink polo shirt with a lime checked vest and white khakis. But it wasn't his outfit that shocked her; that fluorescent attire was pretty typical for Ryan. It was his hair. His normally wheat-blonde crop was now a distinctive blue-black.

"Don't say it, Sharpay. Just don't."

She stepped closer to him, reaching out a hand to touch his new 'do. "Ryan, you look _great_."

He pushed her hand away with a "Tshhht" and walked into the bathroom. "Don't lie to me, Sharpay."

Sharpay followed him in, laying her purse on the edge of the bathtub. "I'm not lying, Ryan. I like it."

Ryan studied himself in the mirror, dejected. "I look like a gothic Ken doll."

Sharpay laughed, wetting a washcloth in the sink. "The outfit is a little much with this new hair color, but overall it's not a bad change. I'll help you pick out a more appropriate wardrobe ensemble before school Monday."

She wrung out most of the water from the washcloth and turned to face her brother, using an edge of the terrycloth to remove dye from his forehead. "Though I'm not sure why you did it."

He glanced from his sister to the mirror. "It was time for something new, you know?"

"No, I don't know."

"I thought it might help if I changed my image – got people to see me differently."

Sharpay narrowed here eyes. "People – or a girl?"

Ryan looked down.

"Ryan, this isn't about that red-head in science class, is it? You are way too good for her."

"No!"

"Well, who is it then? And why do you feel you have to change? If she's really worth it, she'll like you for who you are."

"I know that," he brought his eyes to meet his sister's gaze, "but, first, she has to notice me."

Sharpay smirked, sizing him up with a nod. "She'll notice you all right."

Ryan snorted. "You know what's funny? The box said it would be golden brown."

Sharpay's eyes widened suddenly and she pulled back from her brother. "This mystery girl – it's not _Gabriella,_ is it?"

Ryan opened his mouth but said nothing. He couldn't meet her eyes.

"Ryan! She's with Bolton."

"No she isn't. They're just friends now."

Sharpay scoffed. "Right."

"Besides, you're one to talk – the way you've got Troy practically wrapped around your finger."

"Excuse me?" Her voice raised by a few octaves; which, given Sharpay's range, was quite loud. "That is not true!"

"Haven't you seen the way he looks at you?"

Sharpay was backed against the wall now. But she was truthful. "No."

Ryan's eyes softened and he stepped towards her, putting a hand on her right shoulder. "He likes you."

Sharpay was too stunned to speak.

Ryan's attention averted to the edge of the bathtub where the cloth of Sharpay's purse rose up and down with small thudding sounds.

"Sharpay, is your bag moving?"

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**Author's Note**: You can all probably see where I'm going with this, but it was so fun to write anyway. Once I had the title down I couldn't help but write the rest of the chapter – it just came out in a flurry. Thanks again to those who review – I really depend on the feedback for motivation.


	8. Burnt Toast at Midnight

Chapter 8: Burnt Toast at Midnight

Troy was starting to freak out. The last time something like this happened he was nine years old. His dog Junebug had gone chasing after the ice cream truck and hadn't come home. In the middle of the night he walkie-taliked Chad and they'd ventured on a midnight search-and-rescue mission. Of course they were the ones who ended up needing rescuing. The dog came home in the morning, a suspicious looking ice cream ring around his mouth.

When had it started to rain? Troy didn't know. He stood barefoot outside in the damp grass, flashlight in one hand and catfood in the other. Did coyotes come out in the rain? He shook the bag of cat food, suddenly wishing his dad was home. He might be less inclined to panic if there was someone home to tell him he was overreacting. "Here kitty, kitty."

He heard a noise out front and circled around. Something crashed, making a loud CAPLUNK sound. Followed by a definite cat scream (the blood curdling screech that usually involves extended claws, bloodshed and scars).

"Bad Kitty!"

Troy stopped dead in his tracks, momentarily stunned. Sharpay was on the ground rather awkwardly, blonde hair wet and disheveled, holding his cat in a death-grip. He reached to help her up.

"Are you ok?"

"Fine." She took his arm. "Mostly. Other than the fact that my car is stuck in a ditch and my favorite skirt is ruined because of your evil house pet. I've been trying to take that creature home, but you'd think I was trying to scalp her for a coat. She's a walking death trap. But other than that, I'm fine."

Troy took took his cat from Sharpay, petting her head gently. "Poor kitty. Did you have a bad night?"

The human Sharpay made a loud "Huh!" sound and started walking away. Troy took a closer look at his surprise guest. She was soaking wet. And limping, one of her stilettos suspiciously missing a heel. "Sharpay, thanks for bringing her home. I was really worried."

Sharpay turned around, a lot less miffed. "No prob. I'd want someone to do the same if it were my pookie."

Troy smiled slightly. And there was an awkward what-happens-now silence.

"Why don't you come in? Just for a minute until the rain stops."

Sharpay hesitated and for a moment Troy didn't think she'd agree. But she surprised him, nodding briefly before following him inside.

Troy put the cat down and she instantly made a bee-line for the kitchen. Three cans of food lay open on the floor, evidence of Troy's failed attempts to lure her in. Kitty Sharpay planned to eat up every drop. She deserved a treat after the night she'd had.

In the hallway, human Sharpay rubbed her arms--suddenly very cold in her damp clothes. Troy noticed, turning to her.

"You're freezing, aren't you?" Instinctively he motioned his own palms up and down her shoulders in a warming gesture. Her skin was cold and soft.

Sharpay tensed, uncomfortable with his gentleness.

Troy realized too late that his gesture was a little too intimate for people who weren't even friends. In the traditional sense.

Sharpay looked away, and so did Troy. "Um... maybe I should get going."

"Sharpay--"

"Really, it's late. My brother's covering for me and he's bound to blow it."

"Please. Just stay."

She looked up at him. He was still standing in front of her--almost uncomfortably close. Almost. But she looked into his eyes, suddenly pools of intense blue and she knew he wasn't just being nice. He really wanted her to. This was very confusing. What was with him?

Troy smiled. "There's some clean clothes in the laundry room. You go get dry and I'll make you the best cup of hot cocoa you've ever had. With a mountain of tiny marshmallows."

The tension lifted like a veil at the mention of marshmallows and Sharpay felt inclined to agree. Sugar was a weakness she'd have to work on.

Troy didn't wait to hear her response, he could see the answer on her face. "Great. Meet you in the kitchen."

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Sharpay felt better after she changed. The clothes--Mrs. Bolton's sweat pants and Troy's Wildcat tee--were still warm from the drier. She snuck in the bathroom to check her hair and realized her hair was the least of her worried. She had eye makeup running down the side of her cheeks. "Eek! What a disaster."

Sharpay washed her face and took a comb from one of the drawers. It's probably wrong to look around in other people's toiletries, but she knew she wasn't the only one to do it. Besides, the Bolton's owed her after the ordeal she'd been through trying to get their cat home.

She was still combing her hair when she heard the fire alarm go off. She ran into the kitchen, where Troy was fanning smoke out the backdoor. He looked pretty embarassed, albeit in a cute way. Sharpay just shook her head, sighing. One day she would be able to look at Troy Bolton and not think he was the most gorgeous thing on the panet. Wait--she hadn't said that out loud, had she?

No. She was good. That would have been very awkward and more than a little humiliating. The last thing Troy Bolton needed was an ego boost. "What have you done now, Top Chef?"

Troy wrinkled his nose. "I was trying to make you some toast. But I think I better leave the cooking to Zeke."

Sharpay laughed, but her eyes got a little wider at the mention of Zeke. The two of them had never really going out, but there was something there. It was awkward to talk about. It would be like her bringing up Gabriella. No, those topics best avoided for now.

Troy took two steaming mugs from the granite counter top, handing one to Sharpay. "Why don't we sit in the living room and let the smoke clear in here."

Troy picked up his cat before she could dart out the open door. "I think you've had enough adventure for one day. He tossed her in his room and closed the door.

He sat next to Sharpay on the couch. She was already drinking the cocoa. "Careful," he said, "it's hot."

She blew on it, and sipped some more--her cheeks flushing from the sudden warmness. She looked at him staring at her and smiled. "You make a mean hot chocolate, Bolton. Got any other surprises up your sleeve?"

A damp strand of Sharpay's hair blocked his vision of her face. Troy leaned in, moving it with his fingers. "I think I've got a a few left." He stared at her, that all-intensive go-for-the-gold stare that made you know how different he was from every other boy.

Sharpay drew a small intake of breath, despte herself, lost in the variations of aquas and blues confined in his eyes.

He traced his finger along the outline of her cheek, and leaned in further, touching his nose to hers. One, two seconds later he pressed his lips onto hers--breathing in the momentary contrast of hot and cold skin.

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**Author's Note**. You all have probably given up hope that this story would ever be finished. All I can offer is my deepest apologies for delaying so long. I always said I could never write a novel, because of the sheer patience involved. But this story (my very first at fanfiction_dot_net)won't let me forget it. Even if it takes a while, I promise to try my hardest to finish it. It's because of all your kind words of encouragement that I keep plugging at it. Thanks so much for that.

If you noticed, a while back I cleaned it up where I could. I combined two of the super short sections so as to even out the chapters more. Please send me your thoughts and concerns. **If it won't let you review this chapter, try logging out and submitting it anonymously.**

Thinking of you, cbjenn.


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